All Is Fair in Love and Politics
by nimKypto
Summary: Cassandra hates drama, love games, politics, and really just about everything to do with the students in her small town high school, but it seems fate has a different plan for her, or at least the council of Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses does. Now she must deal with the vipers behind one of the grandest civilizations there is, but thankfully she won't be facing them alone.
1. Chapter 1: Trouble and a Box

Chapter 1: Trouble and A Box

"Now, in lieu of our final, as the class has voted, we will be doing group presentations on the different government structures we have studied this semester -"

At Mr. Harmel's words the entire class nearly shouted for joy, and by the look on our teacher's face, he was none too pleased about his loss to the class vote. I figured that would soon change though; he always had something up his sleeve, so there was sure to be a drawback. If there weren't, there was no way he would have allowed a vote in the first place. So while the rest of the class was grinning and dividing themselves into groups, I sat and waited for the other shoe to drop.

Mr. Harmel cleared his throat once above the noise before proceeding. "And since it is now a presentation instead of an essay test, the grading rubric will be tougher, the presentation will weigh more in your overall grades, and I have also already chosen the groups."

I sighed, feeling the same depression cloud that now hung over the classroom. It seems I didn't realize just _how_ frustrated he was with us. Most teachers would have only used two out of the three methods of torture, but Mr. Harmel was determined to make the next week hell for everyone.

I looked around the room as he started to call names and assign them governments and team members. Some were lucky and were placed in the same group as their friends while others got dragged away into a group of strangers. Hearing the groans with occasional whispered 'YES!'s, I didn't have to wonder which sound I would make. Being a wallflower and an overall outcast, I was going to end up in a group of people who either didn't realize I was in this class, let alone this school, or who knew I existed but didn't really care. Yes, I was sure Mr. Harmel couldn't surprise me twice in one class - I would bet 5 bucks on it.

"And the last group will be Cassandra Gallis, Drake Newman, Sophia Blake, and Darren Xu. Your presentation will be over the Ancient Egyptian government." I was stunned, but apparently Mr. Harmel wasn't done yet. As the bell rang for the end of school, he had to raise his voice to be heard, "everyone please grab your new rubrics on your way out, and tomorrow we'll start having class in the library so you can research and prepare. Don't forget that the presentations will start next week in random order, whether your group is ready or not!"

There went my 5 bucks. I was happy that classes would now be turned into study halls in the library, but of all the groups I could have landed in, I was stuck with the boy wonder who could do no wrong, his blonde and empty-head queen bee, and the second-only-to-boy-wonder, who everyone knew was vying to become number one and getting the most popular girl in school. I had tried to stay out of this school's political mayhem for four years and now, right before my last semester I was to be shoved into the thick of it?! This was not going to end well.

* * *

I was still thinking about my current predicament when I unloaded my locker and started to walk home. There was bound to be a lot of drama starting tomorrow and my chances of coming out alive were slim. Sophia was queen bee for a reason - she had sunk her teeth into Darren first thing freshman year, charming her way to his side and the top of the school's hierarchy, and it wasn't until she was sure of both his position and hers that she showed her dark side. Any girl who came within 5 feet of Darren became the subject of pranks and ridicule from almost the whole school overnight, whether or not the poor soul had actually intended to take the role of wonder boy's girlfriend. And for all her clawing and snarling - the mental picture made me smile - all the popular boys seemed completely unaware of her doings. To them, or any of the teachers, she acted as she always had, a charming though not very studious teenager. I sighed. Working with her and Darren together was not going to be easy.

A soft meow caught my attention and I focused on what had to be the strangest black cat I was ever going to see. Unlike most cats in it's predicament, it sat still on the sidewalk corner, ears and tail unmoving, as cars going 40 miles an hour whooshed past, blowing a perfect fur coat into disarray. And yet the cat didn't seem to mind. It just kept sitting and waiting, and when I met it's eyes I realized it was staring right at me and probably had been for a while. As I got close it let out a quiet huff and meowed at me again with a more commanding tone before turning around and dashing into the still moving traffic. I made to follow but stopped short when someone honked their horn at me.

When the light turned red and I could cross, I bolted down the crosswalk, eyes scanning the pavement for what was sure to be a patch of dead fur. I made it to the other side, however, without seeing any cats either dead or alive. I heard a loud and surprisingly dignified snort behind me and turned to see the same cat sitting above an old box of knickknacks. Letting out one last 'huff' that was almost a sigh, it turned to look through the open doorway of an antique shop. I followed its gaze and when I did, the owner happened to look in my direction and saw me. Before I could smile and dash, he was outside the shop and standing beside me.

"Those are buy one, get one free you know," he said, gesturing to the cardboard box in front of us. "They've been sitting in the back for so long, we no longer have room for them."

"What?"

"People have been donating everything due to garage sale season and spring cleaning, so we have to move some of the older things outside. This box doesn't have a sign yet with prices, but everything here is $10 or less and buy one get one free." The shopkeeper finished his speech with gusto, hands on his hips and his face wrinkled with a grin. As much as I didn't want to ruin his mood I wasn't really interested in anything; after all it was that strange cat that led me here. And I was about to tell him so when something in the box sparkled, catching my eye.

Looking down I saw a clay-baked box with a picture of a proud black cat like the one I on the sidewalk, but this one had gold earrings, a nose ring, necklaces and bracelets. If cats could be queens, this one would be ruler of the world. I was already intimidated by the picture alone. It wasn't until I went to put the box back that I realized I couldn't. My arm couldn't move, and before I could wonder why I found myself turning back to the shopkeeper.

"I'll take this one. How much is it?"

I'll take it?! What the hell! That is not what I wanted to say. I was going to say sorry to bother you but I was just following a cat I thought had become road kill, a perfectly normal excuse, but now the shopkeeper was already looking at the box intently. After a moment he blinked and said, "that one is three dollars. Is there another you want to take as well?"

Nope. Not really. But my hands were already searching through my backpack, taking out the correct amount. After handing the money over I found myself back on the way home with an old, dusty box still clutched in my hand.


	2. Chapter 2: Bullies and Dreams

Chapter 2: Bullies and Dreams

The next day I walked into the library and sat down at the first empty table I could find, letting myself faceplant into the wood and ignoring the pain. I was so tired I felt dead, which was strange because I had slept 9 hours the night before. The dreams I had were filled with dark caves and mazes and despite having searched for I don't know what, I had found nothing in the caves but cold and clammy walls.

What stuck out the most the sense of urgency I felt in the dream. The caves were dark, but I didn't seem to mind it as I ran down tunnel after endless tunnel. I never tired in the dream either, which I guess was expected as it was only a dream. In real life though I was no athlete – I could barely make it through the mile in gym class. Anyhow, the search in my dreams hadn't let me get any rest even in sleep, and so now here I was about to face the temperaments of Queen Sophia with inadequate rest and a bad temper to boot.

If I was being honest today's class could go a couple of different ways. The first and least likely, though really the most preferable to me, is that Sophia wouldn't pay me any mind. Or better still that Darren wouldn't pay me any mind, and we could all go about our merry way, divide up the project, research our sections and have no need for fuss that I honestly didn't want to deal with today. The second and more likely choice was that Darren would try to include myself and Drake in the conversation while Sophia would spend all her time trying to keep Darren's attention on her. The worst possibility was that Darren would single me out and try to talk to me one on one, which would ignite a one-sided war between Sophia and I and I could kiss my days as a silent wallflower goodbye. With any luck, though, that wouldn't happen.

"Hi. You're Cassandra, right? I think we've been in the same classes before now but my name's Darren."

Shit.

"There went my luck," I mumbled into the table.

"What?"

I slowly sat up to face the king of the school. Great, he was even sitting next to me. "Nothing. I'm just not excited about this project - I honestly would have preferred the test to speaking," I said, making a face.

Darren laughed loud enough for the whole room to hear just as the queen herself walked through the library doors, faithful consort at her heels. Some of the other class members looked our way and started whispering to each other, sending the occasional glance between myself and Sophia. Seriously, even they knew her true nature, so why was her boyfriend and his best friend so unaware of it? Sophia stalked over to our table and practically bounced onto Darren, blabbering about how long she hadn't seen him, and I took that opportunity to open our textbook to review the section on Ancient Egypt.

* * *

By the time class had ended and I was walking home, I felt as though I had run a marathon, both emotionally and physically. Drake had been quick to speak up and suggest we split into groups of two, saying that one could work on government structure while the other looked into the hierarchy of gods and goddesses and what role the religion played in the government. He also snuck in that he could work with Sophia while I was paired with Darren, and before I could volunteer to work with him instead, Darren agreed and so I had spent the whole period working with Darren and trying to ignore the intense glare Sophia was boring into my back.

After class was even worse, though I had to give a least a little credit to Sophia - the girl could work fast. I had lingered for a bit in the library after Mr. Harmel had dismissed us, preferring to hide amongst the shelves instead of facing the drama I knew was waiting for me in the hallways. By the time I had selected some random books on herbal medicine and how to survive a zombie apocolypse of all things, the hall was deserted. That made me excited and I thought I had escaped Sophia's misguided wrath completely until I had reached my locker. Not only was it hanging open but all of my things were missing, and there was no sign of where they might be. After searching for what seemed like days, though was probably a little over an hour, I finally found my things strewn about an empty classroom.

The only real good thing about today was I found a clue about the box I bought yesterday. While we researched for presentation material, a picture of the Goddess Bastet had caught my eye. It seemed that most gods had two forms: one human or human-like and the other the animal they represented. There were a few that had only one form like Tawaret, who was a mixture of a hippopotamus, a crocodile, a lion, and a human, but looking through the different gods I realized that the pictures of Bastet in our books were almost identical to the regal cat carved into the box I had found the day before. So that meant the box either contained a gift for her or she had been carved to the top as a protection to preserve whatever was inside. I had been so tired last night, I never got around to opening it. As I dug through my bag for the spare house keys, I decided I would have to see what was inside tonight.

The house I came home to was empty - it seemed my parents were busy with work again and wouldn't be home til late. Looking at the hastily written note on the fridge, I could tell I was right, so I quickly popped open the door and scanned through the shelves' contents, searching for dinner. I decided after a minute of staring that a scrambled egg sandwich sounded good and got to work pulling out the eggs, salt, pepper and cheese before turning on the stove. While that heated to to the right temperature, I thought I could try opening that box from before. Taking the stairs two at at a time, I rushed to my room and made it back to the kitchen in time to start frying the eggs. As they popped and sizzled on the stovetop I examined the old box, my eyes immediately taking in the paint-cracked, rough surface once more. Besides the cat carving I now recognized as Bastet, the Ancient Egyptian god of protection, there were not other hieroglyphics or symbols anywhere on the box, and when I opened the lid there was nothing inside either except for a cross with a loop at the top carved into the bottom, which my ancient societies book called a Ankh, a symbol of life and energy.

When I leaned in to take a closer look, I heard a sigh come from inside the box and felt a slow breeze hit my face and brush back my hair. There was a faint smell of sand mixed with water then as sudden as it had come, it stopped, leaving silence in its wake. I continued to stare into the box, hypnotized by its nothingness for a minute longer, before one of the eggs gave a loud pop, breaking me back into reality. Forgetting about the box and the weird sounds coming from it, I had the lid back on and the box sitting on the counter within seconds, and with a pair on egg sandwiches on my plate, I sauntered out of the kitchen to eat my dinner and sleep.

* * *

I was surrounded by the dark walls of an endless cave and despite the lack of light I could see everything clearly. The ceiling seemed a little low and I thanked whatever gods there were that I was short because it meant I could walk without having to duck. The strange thing was I had a vague sense of recognition. As my feet carried me forward without my say-so my mind was left to wander and I tried to remember where exactly I was and why I felt I knew this place. I had never been inside a cave before, but I knew these walls, just like I knew I was searching for something.

This thought made me pause. I looked at the wall closest to me and reached out, my fingers gently scraping the surface as I turned down a new tunnel, and slowly it came back. I had wandered through these caves before in dreams, searching the maze. For what, however, I still had no clue. As I pulled my fingers from the cold wall, I realized why I could see so well even with no light nearby. The shadows created from minor bumps in the walls and ceiling were flickering slightly. I turned to where the light source would be and saw that off in the distance was a soft, dim glow.

Now I was running as I moved toward the light source, knowing that I would find what I was seeking when I reached it. And sure enough it wasn't long until I reached the end of the tunnel as it opened into stone balcony overlooking a shockingly large room.

In the center of the room burned a campfire surrounded by shadowy figures of all shapes and sizes. There seemed to be about 30 in total, but before I could get an accurate count or a closer look at any of the group, a gruff voice from the far side of the fire interrupted my thoughts.

"Finally," it growled, "she has come. I thought that we would be waiting here forever."

"I quite agree, though it has certainly taken others much longer -"

"That's right! And some never come at all."

The stream of murmurs and exclamations from below continued until they were bouncing off the walls and ceiling.

"-but they should come at once when summoned."

"Perhaps the summoning should be clearer then."

"We can only be so clear - unless we start doing everything for them."

"That's true -"

"And it would take all the fun out of things if we were to do everything for them."

"Enough," a low and commanding voice spoke up above the rest, silencing the room, "enough. She has come, and that is what matters."

"That is right," another voice spoke up. "She is only human after all."

"Human?" The voice surprised me and it took a moment before I realized it was mine.

The last voice, a leveled female one, spoke again. "Yes, human, child. Now come down so we can begin."


	3. Chapter 3: Gods and Tasks

**Hello everyone!**

 **So this chapter came out much quicker than I expected (and it's even longer then intended - double score!). Ok, explanation time: I'm currently writing two stories at once, and so far my process has been to upload one chapter for one story then one chapter for the other story and back and forth and so on...Since this chapter went so well, though, I think I shall be writing a bit more (read another chapter) for this story before going back to the usual routine. It can be a kind of Christmas bonus if you celebrate Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then it's a bonus for you being awesomely patient with me! :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Gods and Tasks

I kept my eyes on the figure who spoke last and was surprised once again when I found myself standing in front of them only a moment later. As I looked down, a pair of golden eyes looked up at me from a very familiar black cat.

"You."

A person closer to the burning embers scoffed. "'You.' I can tell she's intelligent enough for this."

"Well, at least she has yet to faint. That has been a common reaction for chosen ones past. Besides, need I remind you, Sobek, that _I_ shall be the one to pass judgement on her intelligence and not you."

"Of course, Thoth, of course. But I'm in charge of judging her military genius and I honestly doubt she has any, which means she'll surely fail."

"Fail? Am I going to be taking a test? I don't even like them when I'm awake, why would I take one in my sleep?"

A chuckle from the cat at my feet drew my attention from the argument by the fire. "Welcome, Cassandra, to your first meeting of the gods. I am Bastet, and it was I who chose you for the task ahead." Bastet continued to speak while leading me closer to the flames, her tail raised high in the air behind her and swishing back and forth as we walked through the strangest group of people I thought I would ever see. The two who had spoken earlier were the first we passed and it started to unnerve me when they followed us. One, Thoth if I remembered correctly, looked to be a bearded young man holding a roll of papyrus and feather pen and was always taking notes of some kind. The other, Sobek, seemed considerably older, though it was hard to tell as he had the head of a crocodile. His cold, calculating eyes narrowed a little when we made eye contact, but even if they were cold I got the sense that he was only sizing me up. Perhaps he wasn't as icy as he looked. Either way I pulled my attention back to Bastet, who was still talking - it seems she either didn't notice my lack of focus or just decided not to mention it.

"Every time our people are in need of a strong leader, we choose a person to fulfill that role. Each of us takes a turn choosing who it will be, but all chosen ones must be approved by the rest of the gods, which is why you will be given tasks, tests if you will, one for each of us. If you pass all the tests you will be deemed fit and shall carry out whatever destiny has in store for you."

At this point we had reached the fire and Bastet had settled down in the lap of another god sitting by the fire's edge, turning around a few times before facing me. The short pause she used to get situated gave me time to sit down myself. I wasn't surprised or shocked by anything she had said, though that may have been because I was still dreaming and nothing ever seems out of place in a dream. But I had to admit it to myself - the dream blanket of calm security felt really nice at the moment.

"This first meeting, however, will be more of a formality than one of the tests. As I stated earlier, it was I who chose you and so it will be I who will help you when you need it most. For tonight, I am simply presenting you as my chosen one. If another god here will second my decision, then we can proceed with the first test."

Even though I still felt mostly calm, a ball of worry rooted itself in my stomach, forcing me to interrupt. "Wait a second. You're talking as if everything has already been decided. Don't I get a say in what happens to me? And what exactly is this destiny-task-thing I'll be doing anyway?" I was starting to snowball. The more I continued speaking, the higher and more frantic my voice became until it echoed around the huge cavern. "I'm not even a leader. I'm a wallflower! I sit there, become invisible to everyone around me, and observe - that's it! I don't talk. I don't lead. I just fly under the radar and live an average life. A peril-free, drama-free, test-free, safe life!"

"I told you she wasn't cut out for this. There is no way she can be a match for my chosen one," Sobek snorted from behind me, his voice filled with condescension.

The effect of his words was an immediate chill in the air as Bastet narrowed her eyes, and even though the fire beside me was still roaring and she wasn't focused on me, I shivered under the glare she was sending to the crocodile-man behind me. I was about to start scrambling out of the way when a warm hand landed just above my knee, effectively holding me in place but in a very comforting way. I felt rather than saw the god whose lap was currently Bastet's cushion lean closer, and his teeth clicked after every few words as he whispered into my ear. "It is alright. It is not you she is angry with, and since Sobek specializes in war, he is quite talented in starting fights. Bastet, however, is better at finishing them."

Though I'm sure no one else heard what he said, Bastet seemed determined to prove him right. Her words were clipped and barbed when she spoke, her eyes beginning to get a dangerous gleam in them, and I could sense all of the surrounding gods, including Sobek, start leaning away from her fury.

"Do you dare doubt my judgement and seek to insult me by claiming outright that I failed to present a worthy chosen one? Simply because she has yet to realize her full strength and capability does not mean that she is incompetent. And since I have watched over her for some time now, I _know_ that not only will she surpass all of our expectations but she will push _your_ chosen one to heights even we did not realize he could go."

Her speech left a tense silence in its wake, save for the still-clicking whisper next to my ear. "You see," it reassured, "Bastet is merely making a point."

I looked over to thank him for not letting me spiral into a bloody panic when I saw who exactly had been talking to me. Not four inches from my face was a giant scarab beetle with small, beady black eyes that stared right into mine. Thankfully my thank you didn't die in my throat like I thought it was going to. Instead it came out as a timidly whispered "t-thanks," which honestly wasn't much better in my opinion. The beetle, which I now noticed with slight terror was filling in for the god's head, chuckled a bit, his pincers making the clicking I had heard in his voice earlier. He leaned away, giving me some room to breathe, though he kept his hand on my leg to steady me. "You are braver than I thought. Not to many can keep eye contact with me, let alone speak or even thank me."

As he finished speaking, I noticed that Bastet's cold temper from before had all but evaporated and she was now practically purring in smugness as my actions backed up her earlier rant.

Finally, a voice I could only describe as ancient came from within the fire. Looking in, I saw a proud hawk sitting just above the flames on a branch that surprisingly wasn't even charred. His voice rang out in a commanding tone as he stated, "We shall begin the first meeting."

He let out a deep breath before continuing, "Bastet, today you have brought your chosen one, who will act with Sobek's to bring about a great change for our Egypt. Is this the woman you deem fit for this task?"

Bastet answered, her smugness still evident in her voice. "It is."

"Very well. Is there any here who will second her choice and be next to approve the chosen one?"

The scarab guy clicked his pincers, and if beetles could smile, I swear he would be grinning from ear to ear as he said, "I will second Bastet's choice. The girl has much to learn, but I agree that she will succeed. She has already passed the expectations I have held of her."

"If Kepre seconds, then the first meeting is done. Hathor shall be the first to test her."

As the hawk finished talking, all of the gods and goddesses started vanishing, and soon there was only Bastet, now standing, in front of me.

"You have done well, child, more so than most past chosen ones."

"Does everyone go through that? And where's Hathor? Isn't she supposed to give me a test?"

Bastet didn't laugh at my confusion, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement when she answered. "Not everyone goes through a meeting like today's. Only those who have a strong spirit, such as a priest or priestess, can enter our home. All others receive signs in the physical world and are often tested without even knowing what they face is a test. Such was the case with your partner.

"As for Hathor - she is a very prominent goddess, so she shall seek you out when it is time for her to do so. Also, I am currently the only one that can find you outside of our home, as I was the first to seek you out. In order for the others to find you when they desire, I must give you a maegix. With the maegix in place any of us can seek you and speak with you in your more physical world."

With that Bastet jumped up to my shoulder, barely giving me enough time to catch and steady her before she leaned down to touch her nose underneath my left eye's outer corner. As my world turned a searing white I could hear Bastet speaking from a distance, saying that if I didn't wake up soon, I would be late for school.

* * *

Coming out of the dream, I expected the white-hot light to disappear, but as my eyes adjusted to the brightening room the searing hot I had felt in the dream wasn't going away. In fact, it was concentrating itself at the spot where Bastet's nose had touched me, and it _hurt_. My cheek felt as though it had been sunburned for days, so much so that my eyes started leaking tears as I tore my way into the bathroom and turned the sink's cold tap as far as it could go before shoving my face under the stream of water.

Sighing in relief, I stayed hunched like that for a few minutes, letting the cold water steadily suck the heat from my cheek. When I felt better (and was no longer crying) I stood upright to look in the mirror and check the damage. Under my left eye where some people had beauty marks, I now had a smallish white ankh branded to my skin, almost if it had been tattooed there. The edges were still crusted over and bleeding slightly, so I reached for the emergency medical kit stored in my cupboard and got to work with only one thought in my mind.

I personally love cats, but if Bastet didn't have a damned good explanation for this pain and easy-to-see 'maegix' as she called it, she would be one dead cat.

About an hour later I was showered, dressed, and ready for school. I was already late by the time I had woken up, so I decided to take my time, figuring I'd get there eventually. I ended up using a band-aid patch to cover the ankh - I had figured that while the band-aid stood out the ankh would stand out more, so as the lesser of the two evils I had picked the band-aid.

After reaching the school and explaining that I had accidentally overslept to my very unhappy vice-principal, I was told to go to my third class with a note for the teacher and to report to detention after school today, which I was told would be held in the gymnasium. It wasn't until I reached my locker to put away my bag that I remembered Sophia's unspoken vow to make my life a living hell. Because of the dream and learning that I was somehow going to become a great leader alongside a person I didn't even know yet I had completely forgotten all of the school drama I would have to face today, but taking a long look at my locker said it all. Today was not going to be my day.

Someone, or more likely someones, had taped some very creative notes and drawings all over my locker, leaving no spot untouched, and some of them were disturbingly graphic. Figuring that they would just post more if I took everything down, I tore off just enough to open my locker before shoving my stuff inside and heading to third period.

Thankfully, most of the day passed without too much harassment from my fellow students and I made it to the last class unharmed. At lunch someone almost ran me over and while I managed to not hit the floor, my lunch wasn't as fortunate. I had also found some more colorful notes in my textbooks, and one book had somehow ended up submerged in a full sink of the girl's bathroom, but I myself had yet to receive anything directly, which honestly I found odd.

I came into the library to find my partners already seated at the far back table. Sophia had claimed the chair next to Darren, much to Drake's disappointment and my inner joy, so I took the seat to Drake's right, trying to avoid entering the conversation. It seemed though, that I had become far too noticeable because Darren spoke almost as soon as I had sat down.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good."

His concern was touching, honestly, but with the bristling Sophia next to him, I was more annoyed by the attention than anything else. Still, I figured being polite and distant was the best way to go, so I just replied, "I'm fine. My cat, Bassy, and I just had a slight disagreement this morning." It wasn't an outright lie...kind of...more like a warped version of the truth. Bastet and I disagreed on this maegix being a necessity, and it being painful.

"Oh yeah. Cats can be the worst sometimes." Man, he was just too good of heart for this school.

Then, in a rare show of fake concern, Sophia spoke up. "I'm sure Bassy will come around at some point," she said, her mouth starting to smirk as she continued, "but you know, the best revenge for a cat is to get them wet." The gleam in her eyes didn't look all that good, but since there wasn't much I could do about it, I decided to ignore the barely disguised threat for now. Luckily Mr. Harmel chose that moment to call the class to attention and the subject was dropped.

* * *

Sitting in the gym alone for detention was not fun, and since the teacher had too much to do to sit around for an hour and a half and watch me sit around for an hour and a half, she had moved back into her office to finish up some paperwork. I was sitting back on the bleachers when a familiar voice came from beside me. "I see the maegix has cemented itself well."

That had me bolting upright to glare at the curled up cat laying next to me.

"Was that really necessary? It hurt, you know!" I snarled, not bothering to keep my voice down.

"Of course it was necessary," Bastet scoffed, not missing a beat, "without it, you could neither see nor communicate with any of us, and as a priestess, you will need to do both."

"But it hurt!"

"The pain will have diminished by sunset. It is already hurting less, is it not?"

I opened my mouth to say no but I noticed with some chagrin that she was right. After the first pain this morning, it had been hurting less and less so now it was only a small ache, almost unnoticeable. Bastet seemed to have sensed she won the discussion, so she changed topics. "I actually came here to tell you Hathor will be coming soon. Be sure to remember all she says, for unlike me she does not have much patience and will not stand for any arguments or complaints." Bastet stood up, stretching as she continued to speak, "And as for a parting word of caution: only you can see us and hear us. Anyone around you will only hear your side of the conversation."

"So you mean I'm now going to start looking like some nutjob that talks to herself." It was a statement, not a question, but Bastet replied with a smile anyway.

"Only to those who do not understand or believe." And without any goodbyes, she vanished into thin air.

"Well, well, well. So the jealous whore and loner is also crazy. Who knew?" A sudden fit of laughter swooped up towards me as I felt dread creeping up my spine. Of course Sophia had to witness me talking to 'myself,' or worse, my 'imaginary friend.' Looking past the group - it seemed Sophia had recruited the entire boxing club - I noticed that the gym teacher had left without even mentioning detention was over, which didn't help my current situation in the least. Deciding to just get this over with (and silently cursing all gym teachers), I began walking down the bleacher steps and towards the group, keeping my eyes focused on a point behind them.

Our boxing club was the pride and joy of the school because they had won both regional and state championships for the past five years in a row. I wasn't that bad at fighting myself, but I knew I would never be able to win against all of them at once. My best bet, I decided, would be to knock through them and hopefully have enough time to run before they caught on to my plan. When I reached the last step I acted. I delivered a solid kick to the closest guy's chest, sending him flying into his friends and creating a temporary hole. I ran through the gap they left and felt the thrill of success until another one grabbed my arm and flipped me over onto my back. I was up in a moment, but it was still a moment too late as I felt a well-placed fist land on my temple, sending my head reeling and spinning.

I was still somewhat out of it by the time they had half-dragged me into a different room, and it wasn't until I smelled chlorine that I really began to wake up. By that time, though, I was already sputtering in the water and listening to the group's laughter fade away as they slammed the door behind them. A part of my brain was nice enough to point out that at least they weren't stupid enough to throw me in while I was unconscious. If they had done that, I probably wouldn't be thinking at all right now. Still, my maegix had begun to sting a little from the chemicals in the pool and my head felt like it was splitting open, so whatever consolation my brain had cooked up wasn't enough to help my mood.

My mood soured even more when I reached the side of the pool only to see a pair of sandaled feet standing at the edge, blocking my way out of the water. I looked up, prepared to give the person a piece of my mind, when I saw who, or what, really, was standing in my way. Remembering Bastet's advice, I tried to keep my voice polite. "Um, I'm guessing that you are Hathor? Bastet said you would be coming soon."

Honestly, she looked tired, worn out and downright stressed, but her smile was genuine when she looked down at me. "I am. I see you can listen well to others' advice. That is a skill you will need in the coming years, of that I am certain." She paused for a moment before continuing, as if she were searching for the right words.

"My task for you is simple. All I ask is that you find your partner, the person you will lead beside and love for the rest of your life. If you find that person and speak their name to me, I will give you my consent, chosen one.

"And since you have proved you can listen, I will also give you a head start. Many people practice magic in our land, and they can provide a path into the Egypt of our time and pull you to them. I shall place you on one such path, though once they pull you through, you shall be on your own."

Hathor kneeled down as I sighed in relief, at least she would help me get the ball rolling, and maybe the person who pulled me through would be the one I was to partner with. That would probably be too easy, but it would be nice after a day like today. My thanks to Hathor died on my lips, however, when she placed her hand on my head and proceeded to shove me back under the water.

I opened my mouth to start yelling at her, but water filled my lungs and I ended up choking instead. I felt a pull on the back of my neck dragging me deeper into the water as the gym's ceiling disappeared, and before I reached my destination the surrounding water turned black.


	4. Chapter 4: Confusion and a Dunking

**Hello everyone! I'm back (finally...geez)**

 **So long story short I finished the last chapter in a day when it was supposed to take a week, and I thought "wow. At this rate I can do another chapter by the end of the week and upload two - one right after the other." And then I went to write this chapter aaaaand pulled a blank. A couple of months later I had a plot for the next couple chapters written, but whenever I tried to actually write something...well, it never read right.**

 **Right now I'm on vacation so I've had some more time to work on this and finished it a couple of days ago, but because of some reoccurring wifi problems, I wasn't able to upload anything until now. Just so you know I have started the next chapter and it's coming along, though I'm not going to jinx it and say it'll be done soon (even though I hope it will be!)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **:P**

 **P.S. Just a guide: Bold quotes are in English, and so aren't understood by locals.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Confusion and a Dunking

I was fairly confident that I had understood what Hathor meant when she said I'd be on my own, but what I hadn't quite realized to what extent she had meant. When I had finally come to I was in a square room not much larger than your average living room, and it was filled to the brim with people, all of which were dressed in dirty, well-worn rags serving as tunics or dresses. The people themselves, though, looked well fed and healthy, even the elderly seemed healthy with bright eyes that peered at me through the darkening hut. The light filtering through the window told me it was around sunset, but what first caught my attention was how everyone was looking at me. No one came within two feet, but they were all focused on my every move, watching like I was some kind of alien, which to them I'm sure I was. I was the only fair-skinned person in the room and my blue eyes stood apart from the dozens of brown orbs staring back.

Slowly, I sat up, groaning as my headache from before came back with a vengeance. That seemed to break the awkwardness in the room as people began to relax. One woman a few years older than me walked up and gave me a bag. She spoke rapidly in a language I couldn't understand, but from how she was gesturing from the bag to me and back again, I got the impression she wanted me to have it. Taking a look inside, I realized that it was my backpack and inside were all of my school books, notebooks, pens, and a travel-sized first aid kit I was smart enough to shove in before school today. A relieved smile grew on my face as I zipped my bag shut and turned to the woman.

" **Thanks for this. I think you all just saved my life**."

The woman looked confused for a second before saying something in her language and giving a timid smile back. It was then that I realized how on my own I really was: no one could understand me, knew who I was or where I was from and there was no easy way for me to communicate with them. I would have to rely on gestures and charades for a long time to come, and I really was not looking forward to it.

Suddenly more people began to enter the small hut we were in, making it even more crowded than it already was, but they brought food and jugs of water which they placed in the middle of the room before handing out portions to everyone. The woman who approached me first seemed to have taken me under her wing as she went over to the food, bringing back a loaf of bread, some nuts, two pieces of fruit and a small pitcher of water. She sat down next to me and divided everything in equal halves so we could share. Our meal was mostly silent, but we had gotten some introductions out of the way as we ate. I had learned her name was Nakal and had tried to teach her how to say my name, but the closest she could get was just 'Cass,' which she pronounced like 'Kauss,' so I decided it was close enough and we had moved on.

After eating everyone settled down to sleep as the sun by now had fully set, leaving the moon as our only source of light, and it wasn't until everyone had fully settled down that I realized exactly where I was and what it meant. None of the gods from the cave mentioned me going back to my home and family; in fact, I remember Hathor specifically said I was to find the person I would lead beside and love for the rest of my life. That most likely meant that I would be living here the rest of my life. The gods that brought me here were Egyptian, after all, so it wouldn't be like I could take this mystery person with me back home. As I laid on the dirt floor and stared at the ceiling bathed in what little moonlight came in, my mind landed on the question that would haunt me for the next few weeks. Just who _was_ my mystery person?

* * *

User Ramses sat staring at a clay tablet in his hand. It was a message from the pharaoh dictating that he was to leave his position as an ambassador to the Hittite Empire in order to return home and take over military training in Thebes. The new ambassador would be arriving any day, and it would take less than a week to train his replacement and begin the journey home.

From the urgency displayed in the message, Ramses guessed that the pharaoh had a second motive for bringing him back, meaning a new problem had cropped up with the nobles and that Horemheb was, as usual, unable to fix it. Usually Ramses would be the one the new pharaoh went to for advice, so with him gone it was only a matter of time before something happened that couldn't be easily swept under the rug. And though Ramses wasn't at fault for losing the war, he had taken the fall for his fellow general and pharaoh and assumed responsibility for the defeat. That meant, however, that he would be given some sort of punishment as a result, and so here he was in a temporary exile in Hattusa.

Now that he thought about it, Ramses hadn't been to Egypt since before the war and was in all honesty anxious to return, missing the Nile and desert sands. The Hittite didn't have the extremes of lush farmland and harsh heat that his country did, opting for some sort of arid in-between which left much to be desired in Ramses' opinion.

Yes, Ramses was very happy to go home again and if the pharaoh's message was any indication, Horemheb was too, which suited the general just fine.

* * *

The next morning turned out to be interesting though rather confusing for everyone involved. Nakal woke before I did and was already washed and ready with our shares of breakfast before I was even fully awake. She set the food next to me, but before I could reach out for it she started speaking, gesturing from me to the door then to some people who were walking out. I wasn't sure what she was after and so I just sat there and stared at her with what I hoped was a confused face. After trying to explain it again, Nakal must have given up because she simply yanked me upright and started nudging me towards the door. Then I realized she wanted me to follow the others outside, so I started after the last of the group, still a bit groggy from just waking up, and stumbled around the food, drink and people scattered around the hut.

I eventually made it to the door and jogged down the dirt road to catch up with the group. Finally pulling alongside an older man at the back, I slowed down to look around. The building we were housed in was a very clean white, even with the thin layer of dirt painted on, and it wasn't the only building around. We were housed in a complex of sorts, so next to us were some other one room buildings just like ours. There were also some longer buildings and stables forming a wall up ahead. The head of the late stragglers led us through a barn made of the same clean stone as our hut and through a back door, revealing the biggest (and only, really) river I had ever seen.

The stragglers all fanned out along the bank and began to wash their arms and faces with the water they could reach. It didn't look too hard, so I started to walk towards the bank. The ground was a little muddy as I approached the edge but that was as expected. This was my first time around a river but the river was water and the ground was dirt, so of course it should be muddy where they meet. What I wasn't expecting, though, was for the patch of mud I had decided to kneel on to give way and collapse, sending me face first into the river. With an almost shriek and big splash I went completely under, and since my mouth was open in surprise when I fell, it was now full of water, making me cough around it when I came up for air.

Luckily the bank wasn't all that deep, so when I stood again the water only reached my waist. Splashing my way out of the water, I was able to make it to dry land without any more mishaps, but the damage was already done – I was already soaked down to the bone. When I had first fallen in the people closest to me had stopped washing up and stayed frozen as I had crawled back to shore. Now I looked over to the closest, an older man, before pointing at the place I fell in.

" **Be careful. The mud's a little slippery over there."**

* * *

By the time everyone had finished washing off and I had somewhat dried and we all walked back through the stables and to our hut, Nakal was handing me my share of bread and water, a smile on her face as she noticed my state. I just smiled back and accepted breakfast, " **Thanks. You should have seen it earlier; it was a lot worse."**

After breakfast was finished Nakal gave me a dress similar to hers before leading me off to a bigger building not too far from ours. Here there were a lot of people in similar dresses and tunics running around like ants. Some were carrying a variety of supplies from room to room, others were barking orders to those nearest them, and even more were standing in doorways to what looked like a kitchen and laundry room and were keeping track of who was carrying in what and when. I stayed close to Nakal's back as she led me through the masses to the person who I assumed was in charge. When we got close Nakal called out to him and as he turned around in response I saw he was an older man, slightly hunched from the weight of the tablets he carried in a bag over one shoulder. While he and Nakal started talking, I looked around and noticed a lot of people had stopped their work to stare. Nakal kept gesturing to me during their conversation and into the air, and when she stopped, the older man finally turned to face me directly, his eyes narrowing as they took me in, still-dripping appearance and all. When he spoke again it was to Nakal though his eyes didn't leave mine.

He said something quick with a hoarse voice, his right arm waving non-committingly and then turned back to what he was doing, paying us no more heed. Nakal seemed happy with whatever he had said because she quickly led me off to an adjoining room before giving me a small washcloth and bucket of water. On our way back out she gestured to one of the numerous maids with a broom and a wastebin basket and led us both down a series of hallways, only stopping briefly to drop us off. In quick succession she showed me how to dampen the cloth, clean with it and rinse it again, and before I could even think to ask a question she had disappeared out of the room and back into the hallways leaving the other maid and myself behind.

Guessing that I was to help clean the surfaces of the room, I got to work, barely keeping notice of the other maid as she swept up bits and pieces off the floor. It wasn't until she disappeared through a doorway to the left and didn't emerge almost immediately that I suspected something and followed her. What I thought was a simple closet turned out to be a whole other room complete with another bed, stand and desk, and beyond that room was another that looked like a bathroom with an in-ground tub the size of a backyard swimming pool. I sighed. Cleaning this was going to take some time.


	5. Chapter 5: Meetings and Mysteries

**Hello again!**

 **So basically (sorry, but I'm about to vent - you have been warned) I had about 9/10 of this baby written when out of nowhere the words stop coming and the thoughts start popping into my head. Should I end the chapter here? Should I have ended it back there? Should I keep it going for a bit more and end it there? Wait - what was I doing? What do these last five words mean? Where was I? I seem to have been side tracked...two weeks later I'm staring at the same five words asking the same five thousand questions. *sigh* Oh well, it's finished now.**

 **Dear Frashix, Have no fear! I fully intend to finish this story to the very end, which is still a loooooong ways - LONG WAYS - off. Sometimes it will seem (and will feel for me, I'm sure) that the next chapter/part will never come. It will. I'm just incredibly slow, and for that I apologize.**

 **So, yes! Important note: bold speech is English, regular speech is ancient Egyptian Arabic, italics is for emphasis.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **P.S. by the way, when I couldn't think of anything to write I meshed up a new cover photo that I released with this chapter. Yeah!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Meetings and Mysteries

"So how many are there in total?"

"10 were noblemen's sons, there were well over 40 commoners in the past 2 months, and most likely more before that."

"And it's only _now_ that he calls me in?"

"Perhaps the pharaoh wishes to present you with a challenge."

Ramses sighed but couldn't help the slight smile at his friend's jest. The case, however, he found troubling. Apparently in the past months bodies had been discovered all over Jiren, growing worse as time dragged on. When it had become clear that the problem wasn't going away on its own, Horemheb had left the investigation to the local police and had placed Bakari, a shrewd noble who lived in the area, in charge, but the number of corpses only seemed to increase, and it wasn't long until younger sons from the noble families began disappearing alongside the common ones. Horemheb waited, though, until the first son missing had turned up in an alleyway. It was then that he sent for Ramses, and a month later here he was – closer to home than he had been in a long time.

Ramses sighed again, drawing his companion's attention. "You know, you shouldn't show up at Bakari's household with a solemn face. You're supposed to greet a host with a smile."

"I'll smile when we get there. Besides I'm in no mood to smile, considering Bakari is either behind all of this or is being bribed to keep quiet about the whole thing." Noticing the way his friend froze at this, Ramses explained, "he's too smart to not know what is going on, so he's either getting a good pay for his silence or, more likely, he's the one we're supposed to arrest."

"And you plan to just become a guest of his and stay in his home?! This is exactly why I advised you to turn down his offer and stay with the soldiers in camp."

"Sadi, relax. It's easier to take down an enemy from the inside, right? Plus I'm bringing you in with me. It's not like I'm going into hostile territory unprepared and unguarded."

Now it was Sadi's turn to sigh, "This is something I will never understand about you nobles. You're all so willing to have dinner with an enemy and smile to his face, but all the while you both are scheming ways to rip the other's throat out."

"So you're not interested in becoming a noble?"

"Never."

Ramses just smirked, "Too bad. You would have made a great noble."

"Well put that thing away, great noble, and pull out a real smile," Sadi said as he stood up, "We're here."

When the ship anchored itself along the Nile's bank, Ramses and Sadi were the first off – smiles in place – but the first to greet them wasn't their host. Instead it was an older servant, one of higher ranking, if his age and order satchel was anything to judge by.

"Welcome, Master Ramses, Master Sakeem. I am Shahalim, servant and head butler to Master Bakari." The two men nodded in greeting as Shahalim gestured for others to begin unloading their luggage. When the servants started to move, Shahalim continued, "the Master is currently caught up in the town center conducting business and wished to express his regrets for not greeting you personally. He sent word that he would be back in time for dinner and greet you properly then. For now, you are welcome to settle in your rooms where your personal maid should be arriving shortly."

By the end of his speech Shahalim was bowing the guests inside and had begun to lead them through the halls to the visiting quarters. Sadi saw how Ramses had perked up slightly at the words 'personal maid' and sighed to himself. They were here on business, not pleasure, even if Ramses was well known for integrating the two. Besides this maid could very well be a spy placed by Bakari, or even worse an assassin should they get too close to discovering the truth, but it wasn't like he could warn Ramses now anyways, not with Bakari's head butler a few feet away. He would have to wait for when they were alone. In the meantime, Shahalim was still explaining that they were welcome into any part of the house and that should they need anything they could get it from Kauss, their personal maid, or from Nakal, another maid in the household and Kauss' overseer. "-It would probably be best to just ask Nakal. Kauss doesn't speak. In fact we're not sure if Kauss is truly her name. Ah, here we are. Please do not hesitate if there is anything you need. Nakal will come by to retrieve you for supper." And with another slight bow Shahalim shuffled back down the hall.

* * *

This was exhausting. The other maid had finished her chores long ago, or at least I assumed so since she had vanished when I was turned around, but I had yet to even finish the second bedroom. I was sure it was well past lunchtime, but no one had come to tell me so I just stayed in the rooms and cleaned like Nakal had shown me, hoping that someone would remember where I was and I wouldn't be left in these rooms all night. It wasn't like I could try to find my way back anyways - this place was a labyrinth of too many hallways. After what felt like hours and I was still working on the second bedroom, I heard the old man from earlier talking just outside the suite. He didn't say much before he left, but I could hear some heavier footsteps come inside the first bedroom. Thinking it was Nakal or one of the others come to save me I walked out, happy to not have to wash things anymore, but what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. It wasn't Nakal at all but two men standing in the middle of the first bedroom. They were talking amongst themselves, or rather the one with his back to me was talking and the other was listening politely, and from the way they were dressed I guessed they weren't servants, which meant I probably wouldn't get any food, a thought that made me slump some.

Suddenly while getting lectured, the man facing my direction noticed me in the doorway and I immediately stood straighter. They seemed nice enough, but I didn't want to give the wrong impression. Unfortunately my action only made him chuckle softly before turning his attention back to his friend.

"…so as I was saying, we shouldn't trust her with anything, and _you_ shouldn't mess around with her. She could be a spy - or even an assassin for all we know."

"Or she could be just standing right behind you."

The man with his back to me suddenly swung around and, noticing me in the doorway, looked abashed, like he had been caught red-handed. Quickly he cleared his throat. "Ah, well, um, I apologize if you found my words offensive. I didn't realize that you were standing there. How much of our conversation did you overhear, exactly?"

I was sure he had asked me a question, so on instinct I opened my mouth to respond. But then I realized that I had no clue what his questions was so I just closed it again in defeat.

"Do you not understand us?"

Another question. He seemed a little angrier with this one, probably because I didn't answer his first one. Finally, I just took a small hesitant step back and in a total moment of my brain short circuiting, I just held out my wash cloth and water bucket. That was it. Half of my first name aside, I failed at communicating with anyone here.

After a moment of silence the other man who had chuckled earlier now started laughing and had to clutch his sides to keep from falling over, and I let my arms fall back to my sides, accepting my fate. I had failed. Completely.

"I'll take that as a no, Sadi. I don't think Kauss here can understand anything we say. Though I guess when you think about it, it's really no surprise that we got a girl who can't speak or understand us as our personal maid, considering how Bakari must resent us staying in his house."

"She could be acting."

The pair stared at me for a long minute before the one that laughed spoke. "No. Her reactions were too genuine for that. She's just really confused. I wonder if they even told her she was supposed to be our maid."

"They probably tried, but if she can't understand us I doubt she would have understood them."

The angrier one kept talking while the other walked over to me and took the cloth and basket from my hands, setting them aside, before leading me towards the hallway. This stopped his friend's tirade and he narrowed his eyes as we walked past him.

"What are you doing?" the angry one asked.

"I'm just showing her how she can help us unpack since she can't understand anything we tell her."

"Then we might as well help her unpack. She looks like it would take her all day anyway."

The angry one (I've decided to call them the angry one and the laughing one since I don't know either of their names) seemed even more irritated as the laughing one just led me away, though it didn't take long until we reached a small pile of boxes and chests. The laughing one just grabbed a random chest and gave it to me before grabbing another and walking back in, motioning with his head for me to follow. I did, managing to stay out of the angry one's way as he went to grab a box too, and it didn't take long for us to carry all of the boxes inside. The angry one then started grabbing some boxes to take to the second bedroom while the laughing one started having me unpack some clothes into a chest in the first bedroom. While I was busy with that, he had dragged a box over to the desk and started to take out small tablets, organizing them into neat piles on what I assumed would be his desk. It didn't take long until I had finished with my chore, so I decided that maybe I could help the laughing one with his.

I was walking over to the laughing one when I saw it. The bed next to the desk had something moving under the covers, and as I got closer a snake came out into the open close to where the laughing one was working. I couldn't tell what kind of snake it was but when the laughing one shifted towards the bed a little to grab more tablets, it moved its head off of the bed's surface and sniffed the air with its tongue. Thinking it would probably be best to trap it with a spare box I tried to quietly grab the nearest one to me, but as I grabbed the top, the lid came off the box completely and a bunch of straps and weapons spilled onto the ground, causing a loud clank.

That drew both men's attention as the angry one came dashing into the room, a sheathed sword in one hand. What concerned me more, though, was how the laughing one turned closer to the bed, still unaware of the snake, and how the snake, now very aware of the man, pulled its head back to strike. Using the flimsy lid still in my hand, I did the first thing I could think of. Without hesitation, I swung the lid down between the laughing one and the snake to form a barrier of sorts right as the snake lunged, so instead of biting the man the snake wound up fang deep in wood.

Wood must not have tasted very good, though, because the snake got free as quick as it had struck and turned to me instead, like it had somehow knew I was the cause of the foul taste. It struck again, this time at me, but I got the lid up in just enough time again to shield myself from getting bit. The snake gave a strangled hiss as it tried to disentangle itself from the wood yet again, but I decided I liked it stuck in the wood. So before the snake could retract its fangs I swung the board up into the air and threw it towards the far wall, where it hit with a sharp crack before landing snake-side down.

The angry one slowly crept up to the where the snake had landed, sword now unsheathed, but again my gaze was drawn to the laughing one as he stared at me in shock. Our gazes were still locked when the angry one murmured something from the corner, startling the laughing one back into life.

"It's a cobra - a young adult by the looks of it. You're lucky it didn't get you. One bite from this one and you'd have been dead."

"That means you saved my life," the laughing one said before his mouth twitched into a smirk. "That deserves a thank you, I think."

Unsure of what he was saying, I looked back to the angry one for more clues but found none as he simply kept watching us as if waiting for some cue from the laughing one. I saw him start to frown as he focused his gaze on the laughing one behind me but before I could wonder why I was turned back around to find the laughing one's face barely two inches from mine. I didn't have long to wonder why before I got my answer and he was kissing me.


	6. Chapter 6: A Kiss and a Fight

**It's done! Finally!**

 **Sorry this took so long...I really did plan to finish and post this weeks ago. Really. Honestly. I swear. Yeah, well, you can see how well that turned out. But now it's here, though it did end sooner plot-wise than I thought it would. That next part will just be included in the next chapter!**

 **Normal stuff here: English is bolded; language of Ancient Egypt is not bolded; thoughts or stressed words are in italics**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: A Kiss and a Fight

The kiss may have looked chaste from the outside, but it sure didn't feel that way. From the moment our lips touched I was overwhelmed. With one hand already threaded through my hair to hold my head in place, the laughing one used his other to hold my upper arm in a firm grip, pulling me closer. As his lips pushed into mine, prying them apart and retreating only to repeat the process again, the temperature of the room started to rise and I could feel a wave of heat steadily climb my spine. When he pulled away to where our noses barely touched, I felt the wave hit my face full force as I stared into the most amused mismatched eyes I'd ever seen.

His mouth turned up at the corners, crinkling his eyes a bit. "Thank you."

With those words the world came crashing back in and my deer in the headlights trance was halted. Without even thinking I acted on instinct. Ripping my arm out of his grip, I socked him on his jaw with all my strength, which wasn't much since he was too close for a full punch and I was still recovering from what had just happened. It was enough, though, to make him let go and stumble back a couple of steps.

" **What the hell was that?!** "

With one hand rubbing his cheekbone, the laughing one looked about as shaken as I felt. Good. Serves him right.

"Kauss!"

I turned to find a furiously horrified Nakal standing by the door opening to the hall. Judging from her expression I guessed that punching the laughing one wasn't something I should have done. Surprisingly though I was saved from her wrath by the angry one, who began to laugh hysterically. I got the impression it wasn't something he did very often as he seemed to relax, if only for the moment. The laughing one didn't seem to share his amusement, however, as he grumbled from right beside me.

"Does something amuse you, friend?"

The nearness of his voice startled me into jumping a bit before quickly backing away to half-hide behind Nakal, which only caused the angry one to go into another fit of laughter. The laughing one wasn't pleased with this development either but stood looking at me with what I could have sworn was a dissatisfied pout. Finally the angry one spoke up.

"I find it amusing that no one in the army, no matter how skilled, has been able to land a blow on you for years, and the only person who managed to do so in all this time was a slight serving girl." The last part of his sentence made the angry one snort a bit before relapsing into more chuckles.

The laughing one seemed to have caught onto the whatever the joke must have been because he shot his friend a crooked smile. "She's stronger than she looks. It may actually leave a mark."

Nakal seemed to have recognized her chance to speak as she began blurting out a long stream of sentences that sounded a lot like apologies. That had me confused - why should she apologize? It wasn't like she had hit someone or kissed someone else unexpectedly. As I thought it through I decided that she must be apologizing on my behalf, since I obviously couldn't do it. But that didn't sit well with me either since I only reacted to what had happened, though if I was being honest with myself my actions were just about as rude as his were. I couldn't tell her to stop at any rate, so I just gave a mental shrug and stayed behind her.

The laughing one seemed of the same, or at least similar, opinion because at some point during Nakal's rambling and my musing, he had stopped her and began to explain what had happened, pointing between the dead snake, the angry one, himself and myself as the story progressed. When he finished Nakal mumbled something before walking over to the snake and began trying to pry it off the wooden lid. The angry one soon lent her a hand and they quickly slid it into a bag Nakal had somehow produced from the folds of her dress. While she was busy with the snake I was quick to notice that the temporary shield she had made between the laughing one and myself was now gone, and to make it worse the laughing one had caught my eyes, keeping them locked on his own. My face must have given my panic away because the laughing one seemed to think better of moving towards me and instead chose to give an genuine, almost blinding smile. It made me realize just how handsome the laughing one actually was, which reminded me of his kiss, and I fought to keep my blush down, willing myself to think of anything else.

I was failing miserably - something I was sure the laughing one had noticed - when the fates decided I had been tortured long enough and Nakal came back, pushing the rather heavy bag into my hands. With another soft spoken apology and small bow to the two men, Nakal nudged me out the door and back into the maze of hallways.

"That snake is worrisome."

"It is indeed."

...

"You're not even listening, are you?"

"She's certainly intriguing."

Sadi sighed, he needed a new tact if he was to get his general's attention. "It certainly intriguing that she managed to hit you. You didn't let her, did you?"

Ramses' voice turned flat and mouth turned down, but he continued to stare at where the dark haired servant had disappeared. "No."

"I give up. I'll keep unpacking my things, so when you're done brooding over nothing we can discuss the real reason we're here."

Ramses hummed in acknowledgement, but his friend had already left the room.

* * *

Nakal never stopped talking from the moment we were out of earshot until now as we stood outside what I assumed was the estate's main wall. From her tone I knew she was upset and was scolding me about something, but since I had no idea what she was saying, the effectiveness of her tirade was almost laughable. I did have enough common sense to look sorry for whatever I had done, most likely for punching the laughing one, even if I didn't feel sorry. I still thought he deserved it. Eventually she stopped and handed me a small shovel, pointing to it, the ground next to us, the bag with the snake, and back to the ground again, obviously miming that I was to bury the snake. When I nodded in understanding, she huffed once before turning back to the house and whatever chores she had left to do.

" **Well, I guess I'll get this over with,** " I mumbled to myself before starting to dig.

I quickly found out that the ground surrounding the house was about as soft as rock and by the time I had dug a hole deep enough for the snake I was a cursing, sweaty, hungry, irritated mess. The sky was turning a very light shade of pink, indicating the sunset to come, when I finally started to cover the snake-bag with dirt and a voice spoke in front of me.

" **Are you adjusting well?** "

I caught a glimpse of sandalled feet as I straightened some, reaching for the next shovelful of dirt. Ignoring the feeling that I had seen them before, I didn't even bother looking up as I laced my voice with sarcasm. " **Oh, yeah. It's going great. I've just been nearly drowned, fallen into a river, fended off a snake attack, twice, got kissed by a complete stranger for no reason whatsoever and then got yelled at for punching said person in response-** "

As I let out my misgivings and frustrations my voice began to spiral out of control until I was practically shouting at the ground.

" **Not to mention I can't understand or talk to** _ **anyone**_ **here and now I have to dig through some** _ **stone**_ **to bury a stupid dead snake! So why am I even here?!"**

By the last question I was shouting to the figure, looking up to find them gone without a trace.

A ball of worms began to form in the pit of my stomach as I got the feeling I had done something I shouldn't have. I brushed the feeling off, though, and continued to bury the dead snake, a much easier task now that I only had to replace the earth I had previously dug up. Still I was sweating hard by the time I had finished and my foul mood had only increased. A small part of me felt bad for the laughing one, because if I saw him within the next half hour, he would be receiving more than a punch.

Determined to get some food now that I was finished, I headed back to the small fortress of a mansion and began searching for a way in. After a short walk, I found a grand archway that looked like the front entrance. Thankful that I could finally get some food, I quickened my pace and matched straight for the the door, not noticing the group of soldiers exiting. I did notice them, however, when I bumped into the first at full force and almost landed on my behind as a result.

What kept me upright was a strong grip on my elbow, and I looked up to see a group of people dressed in clothes similar to the laughing and angry ones, which reminded me. Using an immense amount of control - bumping into these people _was_ my fault, after all - I attempted an apology, hoping that they would understand the intent even if they couldn't understand my words.

" **Sorry about that. I didn't mean to run you over."**

I stood up carefully to regain my balance before trying to gently pull my arm out of the soldier's hand. When it didn't budge, I thought that maybe I had been too subtle and tried again with more force. And again when that didn't work. Finally I looked up to the soldier holding my arm to try telling him to let go since I was no longer in danger of falling and realized that he was _laughing_ , amused by my attempts to pull away. That did it.

Deciding that I was done being nice about it I swung my arm that was being held underneath and behind his to grab his elbow. Then, adding my other hand on his wrist, I twisted his arm until he let go of mine before finishing the twist and sending him face first into the dirt. As he hit the ground, though, I turned around to find his friends starting to advance, their hands already pulling out swords. The smartest decision would have probably been to make a run for it, but I wasn't in the mood for smart decisions. So I settled with the kick-some-ass-to-vent-my-feelings decision. All of my feelings of frustration at being stuck here burst forth as I kicked, hit and threw the men around me, not even stopping to notice the sparks of pain when I didn't dodge a sword in time. In a matter of minutes the soldiers were all sprawled on the ground as I stood panting above them.

* * *

A rat at his dining table was not what Bakari had wanted to find upon arriving at his house, but as he walked through the entrance he was greeted by that exact news. Currently sitting down to dinner was the Pharaoh's pet rat and whatever servants it had brought along. From the report there seemed to be only one servant but Bakari was not fooled - a rat never goes anywhere alone, and sure enough, camped at the edge of town was an entire division of them.

Deciding to have a late dinner delivered to his room later, Bakari motioned the house servants away and prepared to go work in his study when he noticed a group of soldiers walking towards the main archway. He would have to see if he could limit the amount of drones coming and going from the house, maybe he could encourage the general to go to the camp instead. Having them wandering around the house was not a good idea. While thinking of how to best convince the general, he watched as one of the soldiers stopped a girl walking in before she promptly threw him to the ground. Astonished by what had just happened Bakari turned to watch the girl now fight off the whole group like some kind of wild animal, seemingly not caring that she was outnumbered and out-weaponed, and became more astonished when the fight was over in a matter of minutes and the girl was left standing over the unconscious bodies at her feet.

Bakari signaled to his personal slave, one he had groomed from a young age to do anything asked of him. He felt rather than heard the man come up beside him and ordered, "Knock out that girl and take her to the others. Tell Jashae that I will be coming shortly and to spread the word. There will be a special fight tomorrow night. One no one will want to miss."


	7. Chapter 7: The Missed and the Missing

**Hello Everyone!**

 **It's aliive! I have chapter 7 up thanks to my awesome beta reader and her skills. I think that's everything that needs to be said...**

 **Note (as always): Bold speech in is English, non-bold speech is Ancient Egyptian**

* * *

Chapter 7 - The Missed and the Missing

I didn't remember sleeping and I didn't remember leaving that front entryway, but when I woke up I could definitely feel the pain of my injuries. What possessed me to fight people armed with swords I had no clue, but there was no way I was going to make that mistake again. Nope. From now on I shall only fight unarmed, big-headed teenagers.

Sitting up, I ignored the sharp jabs in my side - it wasn't like I was dying - and scanned my surroundings. From the looks of things, I seemed to be in some weird form of jail as the walls to my sides and back were made of stone and the fourth made by a wooden fence, barring any entrance to or from my cell. Across from me was a similar cell holding a couple of people, both of which were asleep for the moment. Some candled lamps were lit and stuck out from the walls, so I assumed that I was either underground or it was currently night outside. As I was still looking around I heard a voice from the area around my feet and glanced down to find a very irate Bastet, her eyes narrowed into slits.

" **You have angered Hathor.** "

" **Hathor?** " The name reminded me of something and I remembered the sandaled feet at the edge of the pool before being shoved underwater. I recognized with a sinking feeling that they were the same sandaled feet I had seen while burying that stupid snake, which meant, " **That person I blew up at was Hathor.** "

" **Of course it was, child. Did she not speak your language? We are the only ones here that can.** "

Bastet's tail was by now whipping the ground around her, puffing up small clouds of dust as it went, but there was an edge to her voice that didn't fit with her demeanor. It took a moment to pinpoint it, and once I did I wasn't quite sure if I should mention it. The cat goddess seemed to notice my hesitation because she suddenly barked, " **Speak, child.** "

" **You're worried about me,** " I blurted out, my voice shaking slightly and completely forgetting the current atmosphere. My reply seemed to be the final straw as Bastet practically leapt to her feet in a blur of fur and emotion.

" **Of course I am worried, child! Do you not think I would be under the circumstances?"** Bastet began pacing the length of the cell and was as hysterical I have ever seen a cat become. " **Do you not even understand your current situation? You have angered Hathor, one of the most powerful among us** _ **and**_ **the one who is your current judge. As of now her word is law, and if she says none of us are allowed to help you in your current predicament, then none of us can stop them from killing you, or worse!"** By this time Bastet was muttering to herself, leaving me to mull over her words. Gathering my thoughts, I broke her trance with two simple, wavering questions, not quite sure that I wanted to know the answers.

" **Bastet, who's them? Where am I?"**

Thankfully she stopped pacing, but the look in her eyes when she faced me again confirmed I probably didn't want to know the answers. She sighed before speaking, " **I suppose I am allowed this much. If not then I shall take it up with Hathor later."** She sighed again, " **You are being held underground - under the ring belonging to an illegal fight club. In a few hours time they will begin today's matches, and yours is the second."**

Her eyes narrowed as she reached the more crucial information. " **You must win, Cassandra. Under no circumstances can you afford to lose any match or matches you are given, and under no circumstances are we allowed to help you win or escape."**

* * *

Last night had passed without much incident. Besides the snake assassination attempt, things were quiet as Bakari had been absent during dinner, something the head servant - Shahalim, if Ramses remembered correctly - had apologized profusely for, and there were no more theories to be had with only the basic information given, though Ramses and Sadi had poured over what they knew through much of the evening. So if Ramses was to find any more clues behind the killings, he would need to look elsewhere, starting with the small platoon that had accompanied him.

They had set up camp on the western edge of Jiran, and being closer to the town and its residents, Ramses hoped some of the soldiers may have already heard the local gossip and would be able to provide some useful leads. Unfortunately, he doubted they learnt anything of value. Even if his soldiers were well-behaved and therefore well-liked wherever they went, the fact was they were still strangers to the town, and strangers were not usually the sort of people you shared your secrets with. He had to start somewhere, though, and starting with them was the most logical choice, especially when a small group tasked with reporting in the night before had failed to do so. Instead, Sadi and Ramses were left to wonder at what had prevented them from coming.

In all honesty Ramses was worried about his men. While they all were sharp and combat ready, they were still human and not impervious to attacks. If any had been targeted as he had there would be no telling what could have happened. And so with that thought running through his head the general unknowingly quickened his pace, forcing his right hand to do the same or be left in the dust.

Sadi, too, was worried. No reports could mean a whole host of things, and none of them good, but what was more worrisome was how worked up Ramses had been all morning. Despite his laid back demeanor and casual air, the general ran a tight ship and demanded his men be the best, and in return he treated the men under his command with respect and valued them more than many of his predecessors had. Sadi could easily remember all the times Ramses had gone toe to toe with enemies and allies alike when his men were belittled or threatened, declaring that only he or one of the commanding officers under him had the right to rebuke his soldiers' actions. If they had been targeted over the night, Ramses would sooner face Ammut itself and have his heart eaten then stop chasing the ones responsible.

By the time they had reached the appointed camp site both men were taut as wires, even if their outward appearance didn't show it, and were surprised and more than a little relieved to see tents erected and all the soldiers carrying out their daily tasks, greeting the two men as they arrived with quick bows or salutes before returning to their work. It seemed the camp hadn't been tampered with since the men would have been more tense if the patrol sent to report to Ramses had failed to return. That relief, however, quickly gave way to anger as Sadi realized the patrol must have concealed their failure to report in from the other soldiers, something he was sure Ramses would not overlook. And he was proven right when his general stopped a soldier walking by to ask where the patrol was, his tone sharp.

"They're in the infirmary, sir," answered the soldier, pointing to a tent not too far away. "They said they picked a fight with some disrespectful thugs and taught them a lesson." The soldier hesitated before adding on, "But the others were laughing this morning and saying they probably lost since they came back all beat up."

Quickly thanking the soldier before moving onward, Ramses nodded to Sadi, his voice serious but less tense seeing as the patrol wasn't in any true danger, "I'll see to the patrol. In the meantime, learn what you can about the local gossip from the men. We'll meet back up at Lord Bakari's mansion for a late breakfast before planning our next move."

Sadi frowned when Bakari was mentioned, and Ramses couldn't help the growing chuckles at his sour look. "Why are we eating there? It would make more sense and invite less trouble if we ate here with the platoon." When Ramses gave no immediate answer, Sadi paused, suspicious of the knowing smile on his general's face. "You aren't thinking of that serving girl again, are you?"

Realizing too late that he had triggered something, Sadi watched in defeat as Ramses' smile widened, probably remembering the events of the afternoon before, and hoped silently that he would also remember getting hit. Maybe that memory would knock some sense into his friend.

Still smiling Ramses spoke, his voice thoughtful, "No, though seeing her again would certainly be interesting. Perhaps we can ask after her when we arrive." Sadi snorted and Ramses shot him a look before continuing in a more serious voice, "it would invite more trouble to stay away. As guests we are expected to dine with our host, even if he fails to meet us in the dining hall. If we were to eat here, it would be considered bad manners. I like it as little as you do, but it's not something we can avoid."

Sadi grumbled about stupid noble rules before moving off to question the soldiers, leaving Ramses alone in front of the medical tent. Schooling his features back into those of a commander, Ramses pushed aside the flap covering the entrance and stepped into the tent to find his patrol group sitting on various beds and the medic rewrapping one of the men's arms. Without hesitating the commander walked to the nearest soldier and cleared his throat, making the younger man jump in surprise.

"Commander Ramses, sir!"

"We missed you last night," Ramses said nonchalantly. When the soldier only stared at him, mouth rapidly opening and closing while not making a sound, he pressed a little harder. "Did you, in your attempt to subdue these 'disrespectful thugs,' forget that you were to report the successful move?"

Still the soldier said nothing, though he had stopped his gasping fish impression. "Or perhaps your intention was to not report in at all, and you chose these 'thugs' as a cover story for your incompetence."

At this last statement the soldier finally found his voice, "We meant to report in, sir, I swear! But on our way into the house we almost ran over this girl, and when we tried to apologize she attacked us. She knocked Nadim down before he could even react and Jeb was down before the rest of us could react. She fought us all, sir. It was like fighting a lion! And," at this point he paused before stating in a much quieter voice, as if confessing to a crime, "And, we lost."

Ramses fought to keep the smile off his face and took the next moments to reconstruct his composure. When he had himself under full control again, he turned slightly to face the rest of the patrol who had been watching the full exchange with no small amount of horror. His next question went out to the entire unit. "So the reason you didn't report in was because you lost to a girl, and instead of owning up to that fact you turned tail and ran back to camp, report forgotten?" Silence met the question, confirming what had happened.

"Very well, then. All of you will report to Sadi and join the night watch starting tonight, regardless of any injuries you have. And the next time you are told to report in, if you are ever to do so again, I would hope that your pride and duty to your country supersedes any pride you possess as an individual."

Not bothering to hear their responses, Ramses turned on his heel and strode out of the tent, leaving Sadi to handle the nuances of swapping guards. Instead he left the camp behind, intent on going back to the mansion and finding Kauss, if he could. He hadn't been lying to Sadi when he said having breakfast at Bakari's had nothing to do with the dark-haired girl, but the soldiers' explanation had left him worried. He didn't miss the wounds they had and although they said Kauss had won, his soldiers were no pushovers, meaning Kauss would have some wounds of her own. The thought irked him somewhat, and he shook himself a bit to settle his nerves. If she really had won, the girl wouldn't be injured too badly and the other servant, Nakal, seemed to look after her well enough to treat any wounds she did have.

His thoughts continued on their own as he walked, not realizing that he had made it back to the mansion until Ramses looked around to find himself standing in the suite he shared with Sadi. The room looked much like it had when they moved in the day before. Sadi had been right when he guessed Kauss wasn't used to her chores. The walls, floors and furniture hadn't been cleaned very well despite the young maid's efforts, and because they had been interrupted when unpacking, most of their belongings were still in boxes and crates. During the course of the night they had been shoved against a wall and forgotten - there wasn't much of importance in them anyway.

A quiet shuffle caught Ramses' attention, and he turned to find Nakal standing in the doorway. Taken aback by his sudden turn, the maid stiffened for a moment before giving a small bow. "Breakfast is ready to be served, sir, at your first convenience."

"Thank you," Ramses said smiling. "I'll be on my way shortly. And my general will be joining me after finishing some errands."

Nakal noticed the traveling boxes Ramses had been staring at. "Would you like the rest of your belongings unpacked? I could be done before your breakfast is over."

"No. There's nothing too crucial that Sadi and myself need from those. Instead could you tell me where Kauss is? I'm afraid there was a small misunderstanding between herself and some of my men last night, and I wanted to make sure that she was alright."

"Kauss has been missing since yesterday afternoon."


End file.
